ABOUT CALVARY ADDICTION RECOVERY CENTER
Butler Hospital, Rhode Island’s only nonprofit, freestanding psychiatric hospital, was founded in 1844 and is a member of Care New England, a nonprofit that runs several hospitals in Rhode Island. Butler Hospital is affiliated with Brown University’s Warren Alpert Medical School, and provides medical detox, inpatient care, and outpatient programs for individuals struggling with substance abuse, dual diagnosis, and mental health disorders.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
In the detox program, the client receives a tailored regime of medications designed to ease their withdrawal. Ambulatory detox is available only to individuals who are at least 18 years old and have minimal risk of severe withdrawal symptoms. The program runs on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and clients can expect to participate in five visits, the first of which requires a four-hour time commitment.
During inpatient treatment, days are highly structured and include medication management, 12-step work, spirituality groups, fitness activities, family education and support groups, community meetings, and educational groups that address recovery and coping skills.
A partial hospitalization program (PHP) may be used as a step-down treatment for inpatient clients or as a stand-alone option for individuals who do not wish to stay overnight. This outpatient option runs on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and consists of two group sessions in the morning and two in the afternoon. Clients also meet with their physician and counselor at the conclusion of each day. The center recommends participating in the PHP for 10–15 days.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
The team includes numerous psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, and PhD-level clinicians. The 18 individuals polled by Best-rehabs.com to date on the staff’s level of training and experience gave it an average rating of 4.22 out of five stars.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
Butler Hospital is a smoke-free, tobacco-free campus. Visitors are welcome after family support groups, which are held on Monday afternoons and Thursday evenings. Rooms and bathrooms are shared, and clients may stroll the hospital grounds and visit the on-site gazebo with staff supervision. The 18 individuals polled by Best-rehabs.com to date on the center’s cleanliness and exercise/leisure offerings gave them average ratings of 4.17 stars and 3.56 stars, respectively.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
Of the 16 alumni asked by Best-rehabs.com to date whether they would recommend the facility, 14 indicated that they would and two that they would not. In addition, the eight reviewers polled on the facility’s offerings in a variety of treatment metrics gave it average ratings of four stars, 3.75 stars, and 3.125 stars, respectively, for its family participation, counseling options, and holistic offerings. Most reviewers praised the center’s friendly, knowledgeable, and understanding staff: “Well educated and knowledgeable doctors well trained staff members,” one anonymous alum wrote in a representative review.
The reviewers also repeatedly described receiving insufficient time with doctors and other staff, and two reviewers — the two who would not recommend the facility — cited rudeness from staff: “Staff was rude and disorganized… They will look down on you and treat you poorly,” one wrote anonymously. Finally: “Does not offer or use holistic approaches,” was the assessment of one alum — a criticism borne out by alumni’s lukewarm average rating for the center’s holistic offerings, cited above.
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
Of the 10 loved ones asked by Best-rehabs.com whether they would recommend this facility, seven indicated that they would, one that they would not, and two remained neutral on the question. In addition, the nine loved ones polled on the facility’s offerings in a variety of treatment metrics gave it average ratings of 4.45 stars, 3.89 stars, and 3.22 stars respectively for its counseling options, family participation, and holistic offerings.
The reviewers repeatedly praised Butler Hospital’s mental health care, but also described the center as overcrowded and understaffed. “The fact that it includes mental health problems is important. It is a hospital atmosphere. It is primarily a mental health facility but they have addiction treatment as well,” one reviewer wrote in a representative review, but another added: “The place was understaffed. The Dr’s did not spend enough time with patients.”
WHAT STAFF SAY
The single staffer polled by Best-rehabs.com to date would recommend this facility. “It does not sugar coat things for you– very professional,” they wrote, adding that contact with family is lacking at first, but that clients are kept busy with individual and group therapy. They gave the center three stars for its holistic offerings and its connectivity, and four or five stars in all 13 of the remaining treatment metrics, including its treatment effectiveness, family participation, counseling options, and treatment for co-occurring disorders.
FINANCING
The facility’s website notes that insurance is accepted, and that insurance coverage is verified as part of the admissions process. There’s also a financial assistance program for qualifying clients, which covers up to 100 percent of the cost of treatment, depending on the client’s income. The 18 individuals polled by Best-rehabs.com to date on the center’s affordability gave it an average rating of 3.72 out of five stars.